Red
by Astrocam
Summary: On Halloween's Eve, Shikamaru and Sakura get lost in an abandoned park outside of Konoha. Thankfully, a man called Red offers them shelter for the night. However, appearances can be deceiving, and our heroes discover this the hard way. /Shika&Saku/


**Astrocam: Well, this has got to be my longest one shot ever. I also think it's one of my best. It's Shika/Saku, if you don't like that pairing then please don't read this story only to complain about it in a review. It's a little treat for Halloween - an early Halloween present. I hope you guys like it as much as I do, and enjoy it for what it is :) **

**It is a little darker and different from the usual stories I write. Also, there is a main character death warning. If you do not like any of these things, then please do not read. Otherwise, here it is.**

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**Red**

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"Crap, where are we?"

"I thought you said you knew the way!"

"I _did_…or, thought I did…"

"Oh, God, Sakura. Thanks a lot. I was supposed to meet Ino tonight. She's going to be pissed. This is so troublesome!"

"You and Ino aren't dating, right? You were just meeting her as friends. She'll forgive you."

"Sakura…you don't know your best friend very well, do you? I've hung out with her before as friends, was late ten minutes, and she flipped, calling me lazy. Of all the nerve! Troublesome woman!"  
"Who's troublesome? Her or me? And you are a lazy ass!"

"Please, stop screeching, it's giving me a damn headache!"

The pinkette female and the brunette male were walking on a forest trail, getting more and more frustrated with each other as the time passed. Haruno Sakura had insisted that she knew the way around the park without a map, even though it was going to get dark soon, and the park would close. Nara Shikamaru, however, knew better. Sure, he was lazy, but at least he had common sense.

Sakura suddenly stopped walking, and put her hands on her hips. "It's getting dark really fast. This park is bigger than I thought. Don't blame me. You could have brought an extra map or something."

"I tried, but you wouldn't let me!" Shikamaru exclaimed, exasperated. He didn't know why he'd agreed to explore the abandoned park on the outskirts of Konoha with Sakura. Especially on a night such as this.

Halloween night.

Even though the park was out of business, Sakura and Shikamaru had explored the deserted main office, and discovered some old maps of the park left behind. Shikamaru had insisted on bringing one, in case a problem such as this one occurred. Sakura, of course, thought she knew it all. Who needs a map in a place you've never been to before? Psh.

"You're going to meet Ino and bring her to the party, right? Well, they'll wait for us, I'm sure. It's a group thing. If you don't meet her, she'll either get Sasuke or someone to take her, or go by herself. Don't worry so much." Sakura scoffed at how easily worried her partner in crime was.

They weren't really committing a crime, seeing as no one owned the park, at least, that they knew of. Whoever did, let it grow over because it wasn't bringing in any business. The park was abandoned, and Sakura had heard about it recently and wanted to check it out.

Of course, she'd tried to get Sasuke to come, but he wouldn't. She didn't want Naruto there because he would have been an idiot and gotten them lost. Shikamaru was pretty much the only other guy she really talked to.

Lucky for him.

"I'm not worried. Ino will get to the party, with or without me," Shikamaru confirmed, knowing that at least that part was true. "She'll just be pissed off at me."

Sakura rolled her emerald orbs, which glinted in the semi-darkness.

Shikamaru checked his watch and saw that it was five - thirty in the evening. The party started at six.

"Shit! We _are _going to be late! And why couldn't you wait until tomorrow to do this?" Shikamaru snapped.

Sakura glared. "I have to work tomorrow - unlike some people. I can't drink tonight, either, because of that. It's going to suck ass. And we have school the next day. This afternoon was the only free time I had this weekend."

"You won't be drinking anything anyway if we don't make it out of here," Shikamaru mumbled. He was exhausted and irritated.

After a few minutes of silence, Sakura took a deep breath. "Look. Let's just stop arguing and start trying to find our way out of here. I know, it was my fault that we're lost - I should have let you take a map."

Shikamaru almost dropped dead of a heart attack. It was rarely, if ever, that Sakura admitted she was wrong. "It's alright," he mumbled, still recovering from the shock of hearing her say something like that. "So, let's try turning around instead of going any farther. We could just be getting ourselves in deeper."

"I like that idea," Sakura agreed.

They turned around, and started off on their trek, hopefully out of the park.

* * *

"We're lost…" Shikamaru sighed in defeat about a half hour later. "If we were going to get to an exit trail, we should have by now. It didn't take us this long to get as far as we were before."

"Great!" Sakura stomped her foot like a child, not caring how silly she looked - only Shikamaru was there to see her. "It's so dark now I can barely see you. This sucks!"

Shikamaru thought he heard a small crack in the girl's voice. He stopped walking, and reached out to touch her arm. "Are you ok?"

Sakura turned to face her companion, though she could pretty much only make out the outline and shadows of his face. "I-I'm fine…"

"No, you're not. You're shaking." Shikamaru lightly ran his hand up her arm, coming to rest just below the sleeve of her t-shirt. "Are you cold? You don't feel cold."

"I'm not cold," Sakura's voice had dwindled down to pitiful whimpers, and Shikamaru almost felt sorry for her.

He kept his hand on her arm. "Let's just keep walking. I won't let go of you."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Shikamaru realized that he liked this side of Sakura - she rarely let it show, and most people knew her as the loud, confident woman who could probably go anywhere in life if she really tried. She liked to voice her opinion, and help people when she could. She wanted to be a doctor someday.

Silence fell upon the two again, though it wasn't uncomfortable. Sakura had this aura about her, where anyone in her presence couldn't feel awkward around her even if they tried.

It was a struggle to see where they were going as they peered through the trees ahead of them. They could barely make out anything, and it felt like the trees were closing in on them. Shikamaru wasn't even sure if they were on a trail anymore.

* * *

"It's not working!" Sakura cried about ten minutes later, coming to a halt. Shikamaru, who's hand was still clutching her upper arm, was thrust forward by the force of the halt, and bumped into Sakura.

"Sorry," he mumbled, still not letting go of her arm.

"What time is it?" she turned to face him again.

He checked his watch. "It's almost quarter after six."

"We're so late! I bet everyone is already there, even Ino!" Sakura wailed. "I won't even have time to change into my costume!"

"What were you going to be?" Shikamaru asked, curiously.

"A sexy cat lady," Sakura mumbled.

Shikamaru scoffed. "Like that's different. I bet every girl who goes to that party, except for Hinata, will dress as a sexy…cat…lady…" the man trailed off as he thought he heard his friend let out a sob. "Hey, are you crying?"

"N-no!" Sakura caught herself, and tried to wipe the tears away, but she was so tired and frustrated that they just kept flowing down her cheeks.

Stepping closer to her, Shikamaru reached up and touched her cheek. It was dark, but he knew where her head was. "It's ok. We'll get out of here. The forest has to end somewhere, eventually, right?"

"Eventually," Sakura sniffled. "W-we might have to spend the night here!"

"If we do, we do. It's not that big of deal." Shikamaru had no problem with spending the night in the forest.

Sakura, however, thought differently. "I-it is! I'm hungry, tired, thirsty, cold, and what about the wild animals? I just…wanted to spend Halloween with my friends…"

"I did, too, but we got into this mess."

"It was my fault!" Sakura groaned.

"It does no good to blame anyone. We just have to find a place to sleep…"

"But I'm not tired! Can we just keep walking?"

"Fine. I don't even know if we're on the trail anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you notice? We went from crunching on leaves to stepping over, or on, logs and sticks and bushes. We're not on the trail."

"Shit!" Sakura's sobs grew even louder. "I just want to go home!"

"Get a hold of yourself!" Shikamaru grabbed both of Sakura's arms, and shook her gently. "We'll keep walking, but if we get nowhere by eight, we need to stop, or get ourselves even more lost."

After a few moments, Sakura's sobs retreated and she managed to think calmly again. "A-alright."

"Just don't let go of my hand," Shikamaru slid one of his hands down her arm, locking his fingers with hers.

The contact felt nice, and not only warmed his hand, but his entire body, which was a weird concept.

Sakura seemed to feel a bit more confident as well. "Let's go."

They plunged into the bush once again, blindly, the only source of warmth being each other's fingers entwined together.

* * *

"Look! It's a cabin! And the light is on! It's civilization!" Sakura squealed excitedly about forty minutes later, pointing ahead of them towards a small light that could be seen in between the trees.

"Shh!" Shikamaru hissed, reaching his free hand to cover her mouth. "We don't know where we are. Whoever lives there, might not want company. Let's just approach cautiously and slowly."

"We're two kids, lost in the woods. Who wouldn't want to help us?" Sakura tried to reason, but she dragged Shikamaru along, stomping a little louder than he would like.

As they approached the clearing, Shikamaru noticed that it was a rather small cabin, and the light source was emitting from an electric lantern hung on the porch roof. Next to the cabin, was a shed that was almost the same size. There were no cars in the driveway, or vehicles, and there appeared to be no one home.

Something "dinged" in Shikamaru, and he realized that this was not a good idea. Despite the fact that they would have shelter, and possibly food…something did not feel right about this place.

"We should go," he told Sakura. "I have a bad feeling about this place."

"I'm a little nervous too," Sakura admitted. "But it's better than sleeping in the woods, right? And there might be a phone, that we could call someone."

"Well…why would the lantern be on, if no one was going to be using it anytime soon?" Shikamaru questioned. "There's no power lines running to the place, so that means it has no phone, or electricity, or water. Just that one lantern that's on the porch."

Sakura was silent for a minute. "You're right. Let's get out of here." She was sorely disappointed that they couldn't just go in and have a bite to eat, but better to be safe than sorry.

Just as they turned around to head back into the forest, they heard a third voice.

"What do you whippersnappers think you're doing on my property?"

Shikamaru winced - he'd been afraid of this.

Turning to face the man (who, by the way, was holding a scary-looking rifle and machete), Shikamaru began explaining their story. "Sir, we're lost. We were in the park and must have got turned around in the dark."

"What were you doing in the park? It's closed," the man growled darkly. Even in the semi-darkness, Shikamaru could see that this man was pretty hairy. He had a rather bushy beard, and obvious chest hair emitting from his open-collared shirt.

Shikamaru launched into the tale, knowing Sakura would be too intimidated to answer this man. He didn't realize he still had a hold of her hand.

The man finally seemed to lighten up when he realized they meant no harm, and were just curious. "Well, you must be starving! Come into my cabin, it's just over there! Glad you guys didn't wander in without my permission. I wouldn't have been so forgiving."

Shikamaru's internal alarm went off again, but he chose to ignore it this time. This man seemed decent. He would give them food and shelter until tomorrow, when they could find their way out of here. Maybe he could even show them the way.

"So, what's your girlfriend's name?" the man asked as they approached the cabin.

"She's not my girlfriend," Shikamaru insisted, though their hands were still clasped tightly together. "Her name's Sakura. We're friends."

"Uh huh," the man seemed doubtful but he let it go. "I'm Red, by the way."

"Red?"

"Yeah. You know, like the colour." The man smiled, as though proud of something that Shikamaru couldn't quite decipher. "Here we are."

They headed up the steps of the porch, and Red took out a set of keys to unlock the door. "You wouldn't have been able to get inside anyway, unless you'd broken a window," he grinned as he held the door open for the two teenagers.

_Good thing we didn't try,_ Shikamaru thought with relief as they stepped inside the small space. It was dark, and Red took the lantern from the porch, bringing it into the cabin with him as he closed the door behind him.

The lantern lit up the tiny space pretty well, and Shikamaru noticed that it was just a normal-looking cabin, nothing weird or creepy about it like he'd been expecting.

"I'll light a fire to get you guys warmed up. I have blankets in the spare bedroom, where you'll be sleeping tonight." The man found a package of matches and lit the logs that were already in the fireplace.

"Thank you," Shikamaru sighed in relief as the cabin warmed up. Still, he did not want to let go of Sakura's hand.

She released his hand anyway, and finally spoke up. "Sir…um…Red…do you know a way out of here?"

"Of course! I'll take you there in the morning. I leave my truck down the road and walk in."

The two made small talk with the man while he cooked up some chicken soup. Shikamaru almost drooled at the smell, and when it was finished, he devoured his first bowl, having not realized how hungry he was.

Red chuckled. "You like that? Have as much as you want. I'm not all that hungry. One bowl will be enough for me."

"You sure?" Shika felt a bit guilty for even entering this man's cabin.

"Go ahead!" Red grinned, and Shika had a second helping.

Sakura glared at him, still on her first bowl. "You're more of a pig than Naruto. He eats at least ten bowls of ramen each go, if not more."

"I'm hungry, woman," Shikamaru set aside his earlier butterfly feelings toward Sakura, and focused on the personalities that they were both well - known for.

"Sir…by any chance, would you be able to take us out of here tonight? See, we're kinda…missing a party that my best friend is throwing…and he was supposed to be her date," Sakura pointedly glanced at Shika.

Red laughed. "Sorry, Miss. The road to civilization would be probably a half an hour walk or more. I'm not one for walking late at night. Best to wait until morning. Maybe your friends could throw another party next weekend?"

Sakura just shrugged listlessly in response, setting her unfinished bowl down. "I'm tired, Sir."

"Of course! Your bedroom will be in that spare room," he winked, gesturing to a room off the living room. "No funny business in there, kids."

Shikamaru stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Ew."

Sakura clubbed him on the shoulder. "Are you stating that I'm ugly?"

"No, Sakura, I am just saying that I would not engage in that type of activity with you. You are not my type. Troublesome woman." Shikamaru yawned as he finished his second bowl, then stood. "I think I'll turn in too."

"Alright. Just be up by six AM, then we can get you out of here as soon as possible. I'll wake you." Red grinned and waved at them as they headed into the spare bedroom. They waved back, thanked him, and closed the door behind them.

Sakura found the lantern and some matches, and lit it. "I'm not sleeping in my bra and underwear next to the likes of you," she grumbled, throwing herself onto the bed, still wearing her clothes.

Shikamaru wrinkled his nose. "I don't blame you."

On the inside, though, he was nervous about spending a night in the same bed as a member of the opposite sex. He had never done so before, and knew by watching movies and television that sometimes…certain things happened. Even when the people didn't want anything to happen.

* * *

"Shika…Shika…Red's gone…"

"Ugh, what do you want, woman?" Shikamaru groaned. He'd fallen asleep almost instantly after kicking off his shoes and pushing Sakura over to her side of the bed.

Now, he was being rudely awakened by said female.

"He's just…gone!" Sakura was gently shaking his shoulders.

The lantern had been put out, and the room was dark, save for the moonlight filtering in through the windows.

"So? He probably went to use the bathroom or something. How do you know he's not in his bedroom?" Shikamaru was annoyed. He just wanted to go back to sleep.

"Because I peeked in his room. I've been up for a while now, I only slept a couple hours. This is creepy."

Shikamaru yawned and stretched, then sat up. "Light the lantern so I can see what's going on," he told her.

Seconds later, a small light filled the room, and Shikamaru could clearly see the worry and slight fear etched in Sakura's face.

He sighed. "Let's just stay in this room. If he doesn't come back soon, maybe we can go out and call for him or something. If that doesn't work, we're staying in here. It's too risky to just wander off looking for him."

Sakura nodded, and sat on the bed next to Shikamaru. Surprisingly, she leaned her head gently on his shoulder. "I just can't sleep. I'm tired, and my body needs rest, but my mind isn't co-operating. I really hate when this happens. I'm just a little nervous about sleeping in a stranger's home."

Shikamaru didn't make a move, but he noticed his heart rate started to speed up a little more than normal. "I know."

"I miss our friends," Sakura went on. "We should be at the party right now, having fun. But I screwed up."

"No, we both did. Don't put all the blame on yourself. It's no use blaming anyone, anyway." Shikamaru tried his hand at the "comforting" thing, wondering if he was helping her to feel better at all.

"You're right. I still feel bad, though. What are we going to tell our friends tomorrow?"

"I don't know. We'll think of something. Don't worry about that now. Just worry about getting out of here tomorrow."

A few minutes later, they both heard a creaking noise, and Sakura's head flew up from Shikamaru's shoulder. His heart rate dropped slightly, but accelerated when they heard the creaking noise again.

"W-what's that?" Sakura gulped nervously.

"I'll check it out. You stay here." Shikamaru patted her shoulder reassuringly before standing.

"No! I'm not staying behind. Do you know what happens when people split up? I'm coming with you!" Sakura jumped up and grabbed onto his arm, and he realized by the iron grip that he had no choice.

The two headed out into the main part of the house, Shikamaru carrying the lantern. It, along with the moon, was the only thing that gave them light.

"Hello? Red?" he called softly, but loud enough so that hopefully the man could hear. "Red?"

Nothing but that odd creaking noise which seemed to be coming from their left.

Turning towards the left, Shikamaru realized the sound of the source - the front door was open.

"Didn't you notice the door open earlier?" he chided Sakura as he headed towards it to close it.

"No. It wasn't open earlier when I came out to look…" Sakura whispered, fear clearly evident in her voice now. "Leave the door. Let's get back to the room. I'm scared."

"Just let me close it so that creaking doesn't drive us nuts," Shikamaru grumbled.

Just as he reached for the doorknob, an odd, howling sound coming from somewhere outside caused them both to jump.

"W-what was that?" Sakura squealed, latching onto his arm again.

"Sounded like a wolf…and it seems awfully close. We need to get this door shut," Shikamaru reached for the knob again, only to have the door explode in a flurry of fangs, fur and claws.

Shikamaru managed to stumble backwards in time just as the wolf came raging into the small cabin. It was abnormally large for a wolf, being at eye level with Shikamaru.

"Omigod!" Sakura screamed, and let go of Shikamaru's arm, backing away until she had her back against a wall.

Shikamaru was in shock…he had never seen a wolf so big. He stood his ground, though, and the animal stood just feet in front of him, its tongue hanging out, breathing heavily and growling slightly.

In her panic, Sakura had dropped the lantern, so all they had to go by was the light from the full moon.

Being the clear thinker in a dramatic situation, Shikamaru quickly realized he had to get some sort of weapon, or they'd be dead. Glancing around nonchalantly with his eyes, he spotted a machete on the floor near Sakura. The wolf had probably knocked it off the wall.

"Sakura," Shikamaru hissed, praying that she would be able to follow his directions. "Toss me that machete!"

After a few seconds, Sakura realized what he'd told her to do, and picked up the machete that was at her feet. She tossed it to him, and thankfully, he caught it by the handle. All this was done with slow movements…they didn't want to startle the wolf.

It was growling low in its throat, and tensed up when Shikamaru had the weapon in his hands.

"I don't want to hurt you, wolf, but if you make a move towards her, you're dead," Shikamaru murmured, knowing he would protect Sakura with his life if it came to that.

The wolf had an amused look in its eyes as it continued to stare him down.

And then, something odd happened.

The wolf started to transform.

Shikamaru and Sakura watched in amazement, shock and fear, as the wolf slowly morphed into a man.

Red.

He burst out laughing at the sight of them. "I sure scared the crap out of you, didn't I?"

"Shit! He's a werewolf! Let's get out of here, Sakura!" Shikamaru still kept a firm grip on the machete as he grabbed Sakura's arm with his free hand and tried to maneuver around the man.

Red wouldn't have any of that.

"Well now that you've seen me, I can't let you leave," he grinned menacingly as he snatched Shikamaru's arm and yanked him to the floor, causing him to bring Sakura down, too.

"B-but werewolves don't exist!" Sakura squealed, landing on top of Shikamaru.

"Or do they?" Red smirked, giving them a kick. "Stay here. I'll be back later."

With that, he turned on his heel and ran out the door. Without looking, Shikamaru knew that the guy had transformed into a wolf before he left the cabin.

Shikamaru was on his back on the floor, holding Sakura in a death grip on top of him. She was crying openly now, the tears spilling onto his face.

"Shh," he whispered, releasing his grip on her and reaching up to wipe the tears away. "He's gone. We can escape."

"No we can't!" Sakura sobbed, burying her face against his chest. "E-even if we run, he'll find us in the forest! W-we have no idea where we are!"

"We can gather some weapons. I'm sure he has more than a machete hidden here in his cabin. We'll take some food and water. We'll be fine." The plan was forming in Shikamaru's head as he spoke. "And we'll get a flashlight or two, if we can find one. If not, we'll use a lantern. But it's best to travel in the dark so that we'll be harder to spot. Then again, wolves can see well enough at night anyway so I don't think it matters…"

Sakura knew that she had to calm down if she wanted to keep going. Slowly, her sobs reduced into whimpers, and the tears began to dry. "I-I'm alright, Shikamaru. You can let me go now."

_I don't think I want to,_ Shikamaru thought suddenly as he stared into the frightened girl's emerald eyes, which were glinting even in the shadows of the cabin.

"Shikamaru? Why are you looking at me like that?" Sakura blinked in confusion.

In answer, Shikamaru brushed the girl's bubblegum pink hair behind her ear, then held the back of her head with his hand. He himself wasn't sure what he was doing…he didn't even like Sakura in this way…did he?

She was still trembling from their encounter with the wolf, but Shikamaru only held her tighter as they continued to silently stare into each other's eyes.

Tenderly, Shikamaru brought her face down even closer to his. When she didn't protest, he closed the gap between their lips.

Something sparked in him, and he wanted more. He rolled them over so that Sakura was now on her back, and Shikamaru was on top of her.

Sakura put her hands out in front of her, just as he was about to bring his mouth to hers again. Her hands pressed against his chest. "W-we should really think about escaping…"

"Right…" Shikamaru's mind was racing, but he didn't want to stop kissing Sakura. He could tell by looking into her eyes that she didn't want to stop, either.

However, their first priority really was escaping, so Shikamaru had to focus on that and force himself not to continue where he'd left off. He stood quickly, offering a hand down to Sakura. She accepted and he helped her stand up.

"So…weapons?" Shikamaru found that his mind really wasn't focused anymore.

Sakura relit the lantern and used it to help them look around easier. They found two machetes, and a loaded .22 caliber rifle. Shikamaru wasn't sure if a rifle that small would take out a huge werewolf, but it was better than carrying nothing. If anything, it might wound the animal…unless it had some super healing powers.

He shoved as much ammo as he could into his pockets, and Sakura went looking for food. She shoved a small package of cheese into her jean's pocket, and managed to find a water bottle to stuff into her coat pocket. Cheese wouldn't last very long, but it was the only thing they could manage to carry without it weighing them down too much.

They also found a small pocket flashlight.

Throughout the time the two were searching, an occasional howl pierced the silence, sending shivers down both their spines. They would be out in the forest with those…things…but it was better than being stuck in the small cabin when Red came back, with no chance of escape.

"Are we ready?" Shikamaru asked about fifteen minutes later.

"N-no," Sakura whispered. She really didn't want to deal with that forest again, especially knowing what occupied it.

Turning to face her, Shikamaru took her hand. "Just don't let go of my hand no matter what, you hear me?"

She nodded, and he gave her a quick kiss on the lips before slinging the rifle over his back and grabbing the machete and flashlight. Sakura held her machete in her free hand, and Shikamaru could tell that she was trembling with fear already.

Shikamaru slung his machete through the belt which was currently holding up his pants, and, keeping a firm grip on Sakura's hand, he held the flashlight in his free hand and they stepped outside into the crisp autumn air.

* * *

Shikamaru had no idea where they were headed, but so far they hadn't encountered any creatures, which was a blessing in his eyes. They had just plunged blindly into the forest, in their eagerness to escape the confines of Red's cabin.

He had no idea how long they were walking before they came to a dirt road.

"Shikamaru! It's a road!" Sakura, despite her exhaustion, was thrilled that there was finally some sign of civilization.

Shikamaru wasn't ready to celebrate just yet. "We still have to follow this road for God knows how long, and God knows where it ends up?" he pointed out to her, hoping to curb her enthusiasm. He didn't want her to get her hopes up, only to have them dashed and her morale drop lower than it already was.

"I know, I know. I was just excited. This road has to lead somewhere."

"I understand. Let me just examine it for a minute. I need to see if this road looks vaguely familiar at all, and which direction it seems to be going." Shikamaru flicked on the small flashlight, and scanned the area. He didn't recognize anything, but his gut instinct told him to go south. He wasn't sure why, he just had a strange feeling that if they took the south direction, they would sooner or later reach home.

He turned, and tugged Sakura in that direction, shutting off the light. With the aid of the full moon, they really didn't need the flashlight to walk.

"How do you know we're not just heading deeper into the forest?" Sakura asked timidly.

"I have this feeling. Just trust me." Shikamaru squeezed her hand and they continued walking in silence.

After a few minutes, Sakura broke the silence. "This might not be the best time to ask this sort of question, but…what are we?"

"Huh?" Shikamaru blinked, and turned his head to look at her strangely.

"I mean…our relationship. We're obviously more than friends, but we're not officially going out. Dating. Whatever. Ino likes you, so I don't want to intrude on anything…" Sakura trailed off as Shikamaru stopped walking suddenly, and turned to face her. He stood in front of her, his hands on her arms.

"I like you, Sakura. Ino can have Sasuke. I know in her heart, she's still crazy over him. Will you be my girlfriend?" Shikamaru wasn't sure exactly why he was doing this…and he hoped he wouldn't regret it later.

Sakura twiddled her thumbs nervously, but smiled and nodded. "I will."

With that, Shikamaru pulled her close and kissed her under the pale light of the moon. A crescendo of shrill howls suddenly broke the silence of the night, but the couple paid them no mind as they blissfully ignored their surroundings.

* * *

"Omigod…omigod no way!"

"It's true, Ino. T-they found Sakura and Shikamaru. By the looks of things, they were attacked viciously last night b-by some large animal, or animals, in the abandoned park. They d-didn't make it."

"You're…this is a joke! A fucking joke!"

"I-I wish it was. I'm so sorry, Ino. I know y-you were close friends with them both."

The blonde-haired girl shook with sobs as new tears fell out of her eyes. She nearly dropped the phone she was holding to her ear, but she needed to hear more from her quiet friend. "W-when's the funerals?"

Hinata answered with sadness apparent in her voice. "Probably next week. Anyone who attends will get the day off s-school."

Ino continued to sob out loud, not caring who heard or saw, ignoring the fact that she was in public. She'd been on her way to Sakura's house, after Sakura had failed to answer her phone calls, to demand to know why the girl hadn't made it to the party last night. But, a phone call on her cell phone had her crashing to her knees in the middle of the sidewalk. People stepped around her cautiously, and most ignored her, some gave her curious glances.

She ignored them completely, lost in her own turmoil and grief. "Fuck! Why the fuck did this have to happen! Does anyone else know?"

"Y-yes. Most people know by now. We're still spreading the word. I'm really sorry. I-I'm going to miss them, too."

"I have to go, Hinata. T-thanks for calling." Ino hung up before her shy friend could respond, and dropped her phone on the cement. She held her head in her hands and cried, knowing she didn't have the strength to stand up, turn around, and walk back home. She was more than halfway to Sakura's house.

"Hey."

A sudden voice and hand on her shoulder startled her. Turning her head to glare at the person who dared to interrupt her mourning, she ended up gazing into the obsidian eyes of none other than…

"S-Sasuke?"

"I heard. I'm sorry."

"Is that all you have to say? You heartless bastard? Go away." Ino was in no mood to deal with the heart-of-ice Uchiha at the moment.

Sasuke sighed. Sakura had been a friend of his, as well. Shikamaru not so much, but he felt the same sadness that Ino did. "You're not the only one in mourning here, Ino. Sakura was a close friend of mine."

"W-while I was dancing and flirting with you, my two best friends died!" Ino spat, reliving the night before, and the wild party.

"Get up."

"How dare you order me to -"

"I said, get the fuck up." Sasuke grabbed Ino under the arms and yanked the sobbing girl up off the sidewalk. He dusted her off, and retrieved her phone and purse which had fallen as well.

Ino's legs were weak and she was shaking. She'd never be able to walk home in this condition. "I-I can't walk home!"

"I don't expect you to walk." With that, Sasuke handed her her phone and purse, and swiftly lifted her into his arms, bridal style.

At first, Ino protested, kicking and struggling to roll out of Sasuke's arms. But he had an iron grip on her, and she finally caved in, letting him carry her back to her home.

To tell the truth, it felt nice to be in his arms. Ino felt…safe. Like, he would be able to protect her from anything. She never expected Sasuke to be touching her in this way, either.

Ino sighed and wiped at her tears as Sasuke continued to take her home.

Somewhere, in an abandoned park on the outskirts of Konoha, a lone wolf howled. The sorrowful sound pierced the quietness of the city, reminding Ino that, no matter where a person was, whether in their own home, in someone's arms, or on the streets, no one was completely, a hundred percent safe.

* * *

**Astrocam: Thanks for reading :) I know I'm not the greatest at writing action or drama, but I tried. I hope you liked it. Remember, I warned you in the beginning about the main character deaths. I've been writing too many fluffy/happy stories lately. I wanted to make a twist on things, and I hope I made a good one. Thanks again :D Happy early Halloween :D**


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